About two weeks ago I took the step from just thinking about making this thing to actually beginning research, planning, and taking steps towards figuring out what this thing needs to be. The last entry I made was “perhaps it’s best to consult with experts on these things instead of trying to catch up on 20 years of board games on your own”. That insight is what brought me here.
I am a lifetime gamer; various rpgs, mostly D&D, MtG on and off since unlimited, 40k, other tabletops here and there, video games since i got my first 8-bit nintendo as a kid. Educated as a philosopher, a jiu jitsu instructor by profession.
I have worked on writing a jiu jitsu book for years. It has morphed from a technical lexicon to formal academic expository to recently something so tongue in cheek it could be published by steve jackson games. As it approached this last form, I began truly shaping it as a game manual, and then began thinking as an after thought that there should be at least a playable game along with it. Intentions have shifted and the desire to make an awesome game has become the priority, the book to function as some sort of color text for the game.
For this to work though, the game must really hit close to home in accurately representing the mechanics of a real grappling match. I am leaning towards a hybrid system of deck construction and custom dice rolls
The project has become a giant thing, and I am here joining this community now seeking the advice of those more experienced in these things than myself.
I have some first thoughts on the project written out. please let me know if it is appropriate to post here or to make a separate thread.
I look forward to working on this with everyone, and taking part in this community as best I can.
It's cool that you have put some work into trying to figure out a jiu jitsu game. Really, I think every gamer who spends a decent amount of time training must do the same to some extent. You are exactly right that there is such a rich database to draw on, it's just a matter of figuring out the correct mechanics.
Like you I started with the idea of it being card based. I focused on the positional aspect of it first,then the definition of Jiu Jitsu as “a science [and art] of control leading to submission”. Additionally, that control is a spectrum between grip and submission. With this as the conceptual core of jiu jitsu for me, the game started to take a certain shape in my head.
the fight occurring at different positions is essential, but plays out almost in different mini games. minimum you have standing, guard play, and play when past the guard, each position granting advantage and penalties to the cards played. Each position must also have its own deck of cards specific to that position.
It can't be turn based. players must play simultaneously. blind, but into some environment that can represent movement. flux, a grip fight, a back and forth of subtle balance shifts and momentary openings into which feints and attacks are made. I have thought the best way to represent this flux as a handful of custom dice representing openings, balance forward or backwards, vulnerability of head, leg, or arm, etc(6? With character ability, card advantage, board presence, etc as possibly changing the number able to be thrown), removing dice of certain types, allowing additional of certain types. ... this is all loose, but i think the dice are absolutely necessary to represent that element of the fight. The cards to represent vocabulary, and the whole thing built on the concepts of jiu jitsu as a fight for control, thru various positions, aiming to achieve a submission.
Thinking of this as a dice game is new to me, but the more I think on it, the dice are playing a larger and larger part.